Creating a Custom Object is a foundational admin task. The configuration is straightforward but the design decisions before configuration matter for the life of the object.
- Open Setup and navigate to Object Manager
Setup > Object Manager. The list shows every standard and custom object in the org.
- Click Create > Custom Object
The New Custom Object wizard opens. Pick a Label (singular, e.g., "Service Request"), a Plural Label, an Object Name (API base name without __c, e.g., "Service_Request"), and a Record Name (the Name field's label, often the same as the Label).
- Configure object features
Decide whether to allow Reports, allow Activities, allow Search, allow Bulk API Access, allow Sharing, allow Streaming API Access. Most production objects should enable Reports, Activities, Search, and Sharing; the others depend on integration patterns.
- Save and add custom fields
Open the new object in Object Manager and add the fields the business actually needs. Be deliberate; every field is a Page Layout edit, an FLS configuration, and a potential validation-rule reference.
- Configure page layout, list views, and tabs
Setup > Object Manager > [object] > Page Layouts; List Views; and Tabs respectively. Without these, users cannot interact with the object through the UI.
- Wire into related lists on parent objects
If the Custom Object has lookup relationships to standard objects (Account, Opportunity), add the Related List to the parent's Page Layout so users can navigate to the child records.
- Test through the UI and through Apex
Confirm CRUD works through both the standard UI and any planned automation. Bulkified Apex testing catches governor-limit issues that single-record tests miss.
- Custom Objects cap at 200 per org on Enterprise Edition. Plan before you hit the cap; cleanup is harder than design.
- The API Name (__c suffix) is hard to change after records exist. Pick carefully at creation.
- Master-detail relationships propagate sharing from parent to child; lookups do not. Pick the type that matches the ownership semantics.
- Custom Object variants (Big Object, External Object, Platform Event, Custom Metadata Type) have different behaviors. Pick the right kind at creation.